Cotton Hill
"I killed fiddy (50) men!" -Cotton's Catch Phrase Cotton Lyndal Hill (May 3, 1925 - November 11, 2007) was a character in the animated series King of the Hill. He was the father of Hank Hill, Good Hank Hill or "G.H.", and Junichiro (his illegitimate half-Japanese son). He was also a World War II veteran who had his shins "blowed off by a Japanman's machine gun" in combat, and later had his feet attached to his knees. This made him a foot shorter than his fellow family members and caused a characteristic waddle (according to Hank, Cotton was 6' 4" (1.93 m) with his shins, 5' 0" even (1.52m) without). Despite his disability, he eventually reached the rank of Colonel in the Texas State Militia, and was addressed as such by his friends. He had a lot of money as he drove a Cadillac and visited New York City (without complaining about the high prices). Cotton was voiced by Toby Huss. Military service Cotton was zealously proud of his military service record and his status as a war hero, although he tended to exaggerate his exploits. He claims he killed "fitty (50) men" during the war. He consistently reminded everyone within earshot about how he lost his shins during World War II: :"I was 14, just a little older than Bobby. But I knew Uncle Sam needed me, so I lied and signed up. We had beat the Nazzy's in Italy, and they shipped us to the Pacific theater. A Tojo torpedo sent our troop ship to the bottom. I could only save three of my buddies: Fatty, Stinky, and Brooklyn. They were kind of like you fellas [[Bill Dauterive|Bill], Dale, and Boomhauer], only one of them was from Brooklyn. Out of the sun came a Tojo Zero and put fitty bullets in my back. The blood attracted sharks. I had to give 'em Fatty. Then things took a turn for the worse. I made it to an island, but it was full of Tojos! They were spitting on the U.S. flag! So I rushed 'em, but it was a trap. They opened fire and blew my shins off. Last thing I remember, I beat 'em all to death with a big piece of Fatty. I woke up in a field hospital, and they were sewing my feet to my knees." He referred to the Japanese as "Tojos," a slur not unlike Jap and doubtless deriving from war-time Japanese Prime Minister and General Hideki Tojo. He would also refer to the Nazis as "Nazzys." If Cotton's story is to be believed, he was born around 1927 (jobs), making him about 70 in the first season of the show. In a third season episode, Hank says Cotton is 74. He also claimed to have fought in both Munich and Okinawa within days of each other, but later admitted to not fighting in Munich. Based upon Cotton's uniform in the episode "Returning Japanese", he earned the following military decorations: Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, and American Campaign Medal. In the episode "When Cotton Comes Marching Home", his Silver Star is displayed in a case at the VFW. Cotton states in a sixth season episode that he served with the U.S. Army's 77th Infantry Division. =Family Relationships= His second wife was a hospital volunteer Deirdre "Didi" Hill, who is around the same age as Hank. Hank and Didi went to kindergarten together (according to episode 1-08, "Shins of the Father"). Cotton's relationship with Hank was strained; while Hank seemed to have a deep reverence (and fear) of his father, he stood up to Cotton on several occasions. Cotton also became depressed (and enraged) by the fact that he and Hank did not have a good relationship, once going homicidally insane when Hank said that he hates him. In spite of all this, however, Cotton never hesitated to refer to Hank as "My Boy," and on several occasions tried to help him (such as when Kahn and Minh were befouling his house). Interestingly enough, Cotton appears to have a good relationship with Bobby. It can be assumed that Cotton tries to make up for his own strained relationship with his son by having a close relationship with his grandson. He once conceded that Hank was a better father than himself, stating Hank "made Bobby. I only made you." Cotton shows that he is proud of Bobby and supports him. Once contemplating suicide, Cotton confides in Bobby and gives him a letter of recommendation for the army and thus irking Hank. Cotton often tries to pass on his misogynistic views to Bobby, even going so far as to try to buy him a hooker once, although Hank and Peggy are always able to reverse the damage. Cotton demonstrates his affection for Bobby in numerous instances. In "How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying", he comes to watch Bobby and Hank shoot in a father-son shooting competition, stating, "I'm always here to support my Bobby." In "Revenge of the Lutefisk", Cotton even goes so far as to take the blame for Bobby after Bobby confesses he was the one who burned down the church and Didi reveals to Bobby that Cotton told her that if their unborn child turned out as good as Bobby, he wouldn't abandon it. In "Death Picks Cotton" Hank stated that, "My dad doesn't love a lot of things but he does love Bobby." Personality Cotton was consistently a misogynistic, violent, abusive and intolerant character. He talked down to women, berated his son, was prone to violent outbursts, and on more than one occasion has exhibited homicidal tendencies. His abrasive, misogynistic manner was consistently embarrassing for Hank and usually infuriating for Hank’s wife, Peggy. Throughout his history on the series, Cotton never once addressed Peggy by name, but he instead called her "Hank’s wife", which was used as a running gag, including on the very rare occasion he's trying to be nice to her ("Cotton's Plot"). He even passed on some of his sexist and misogynistic traits to Bobby at one point, teaching him that women should be made to cook and clean for their husbands all day long. On rare occasions, Cotton showed a vulnerable side that he normally kept hidden: he realizes that he was a terrible father, hates himself for growing old and becoming disabled, and readily admits that he would die to protect his grandson, Bobby ("Revenge of the Lutefisk"). Cotton also demonstrated a rough, demanding and often abusive but at times inspirational leadership. He admits to Hank that he always wanted to win in battle but accepted defeat when his men did their best. Through tough love and intense physical therapy, Cotton also helped Peggy walk again after a debilitating skydiving accident. Hank was initially wary of this, because he feared that Cotton was simply taking advantage of Peggy's brief disability in order to humiliate her. Death In the episode "Death Picks Cotton", Cotton died from injuries caused by a freak shrimp-related accident at Tokyaki's Japanese restaurant in Arlen. After trying to attack a chef at Tokyaki's, he accidentally swallows a piece of shrimp and slips and falls while standing on a grill table. Cotton is hospitalized at a nearby Texas VA Hospital after leaving the restaurant. He is diagnosed with a hip fracture, severe burns on his lower legs, and a severe allergic reaction to the shellfish, resulting in an infection of his esophagus. While in the hospital he suffers a heart attack which causes his doctor to state that Cotton would never recover (which he never does) and that the doctor had no idea how Cotton was revived or how he was even talking to them at the hospital, Cotton intentionally slows his heartbeat several times to mimic death (a technique he learned at a Japanese POW camp to end torture). After doing so numerous times and endlessly upbraiding Hank, Peggy comes in alone and darkly states to him that she hopes he will live forever, so that he will have to live in the Hell he has created for himself on Earth. He simply replies, "Do ya now?", and then dies on the spot. Peggy tells Hank that Cotton's final words toward Hank were kindly. After Cotton's death, the final scene of the episode shows Hank's shed having been made into a memorial for Cotton, which Dale Gribble promptly blows up per request by Cotton. A separate deathbed request by Cotton to have his head detached from his body and mailed to the emperor of Japan is not honored; Hank planned to honor the request until Peggy lied to him and said Cotton had rescinded it right before he died. Neither Didi nor G.H. appear in the "Death Picks Cotton" episode nor is his funeral shown. Fox published the following obituary for Cotton: :Cotton Hill, age unknown, World War II veteran, died Sunday in a Texas VA hospital. Hill suffered from several injuries ranging from four rusty bullets lodged in his heart from his military service, a broken hip and torn ligaments in his ankle-knees, to an infection in his esophagus and severe burns caused by a freak shrimp accident that occurred earlier this week at Tokyaki's Japanese restaurant. Hill leaves behind sons Hank Hill and G.H. (short for "Good Hank"); daughter-in-law Peggy Hill; grandson Bobby Hill; ex-wife Tilly; second wife Didi; first love and former Japanese lover Michiko; an illegitimate Japanese son, Junichiro; and nephew Dusty Hill (of band ZZ Top). Posthumous In the season thirteen episode "Serves Me Right For Giving General George S. Patton The Bathroom Key", Hank receives a box of his father's old possessions from Didi, who reveals that she is engaged to a wealthy professional wrestler. Hank reads through the list of insane tasks, the last of which is flushing his father's ashes down a toilet which George S. Patton once used (which contradicts an earlier episode where Cotton, with Peggy's help, fought to be buried in a government cemetery). Hank follows through with the deed. In an episode, which appeared on Adult Swim, Hank gets things from Didi that belong to Cotton and things he wants Hank to do. Hank does everything. Near the end Hank gets a key from Cotton's friends son and goes to the locker to see what was inside. Inside was a box with Cotton's ashes. Cotton wanted his ashes flushed in the toilet where every war hero is flushed in. Hank does this deed and that's the end of the episode Trivia *Despite his many faults, he is seen to have a good eye. As he was able to tell Kahn was Laotian at first sight, where it was a running gag early in the series that everyone believe he was Chinese or Japanese. *He once got Peggy to get him a spot in the Texes State Cementery, but when he died he made Hank flush his ashes down a toilet. Category:Deceased Category:Characters Category:Soda